State Briefs 10/26/09

SPRINGFIELD -- A 53-year-old man suffered serious head injuries Saturday night after police took him to the ground while he was holding what turned out to be a starter pistol.

The man’s family members told police he was being argumentative the night they called and refused to leave, at one point pulling out what appeared to be a handgun and threatening to shoot someone.

Police arrived and saw a man walking with a bicycle. Two officers gave him commands to stop and put his hands up, and the man put one arm in the air but left the other down near his pocket.

It was then the officers noticed the man had a starter pistol, which they believed to be a real gun, Dowis said. The two officers then took the man to the ground.

The two officers involved have been placed on restricted duty.

State Journal-Register

Day care was operating properly during police shooting, agency says

ROCKFORD — Details from a lawsuit against the city and its Police Department support findings of the state’s child welfare agency that a church day care was operating properly at the time of a fatal police shooting.

According to the lawsuit, filed Oct. 16 in Winnebago County Court, Rockford police officers Stanton North and Oda Poole were pursuing Mark Anthony Barmore of Rockford for alleged criminal activity Aug. 24, and Barmore entered the Kingdom Authority International Ministries Church House of Grace day care and school.

The lawsuit also states Barmore, 23, ran into an equipment room inside a children’s play area in the basement of the school, which is where the shooting took place.

The children’s play area is not considered part of the state-licensed day care facility housed within the church, said Department of Child and Family Services spokesman Kendall Marlowe. Of the 10 children ages 5 to 11 who were in the play room when Barmore was shot to death, none were enrolled in the DCFS-licensed day care program, which is located in another area of the church and caters strictly to children ages 6 weeks to 3 years.

As far as DCFS is concerned, Marlowe said the agency was made aware of the shooting and responded. The agency did not and does not plan to investigate the day care for licensing violations or allegations of abuse or neglect in relation to the shooting, Marlowe said.

The church is suing the city, police department and the officers for what it is calling “reckless” actions that placed day care and school employees and 10 children in harm’s way and caused them to suffer emotional distress.

Rockford Register Star

Woman arrested on obstruction charges in investigation into boyfriend’s death

PEORIA – A woman who told police she found her boyfriend dead from a gunshot wound to the head Saturday morning remains jailed after allegedly lying to police about where she had been during the time the man is believed to have been shot.

Nora Jean Patton, 47, of Peoria, had her bond on a single felony count of obstructing justice set at $40,000 in Peoria County court Monday. She must post $4,000 to be released.

Assistant Peoria County State’s Attorney Steve Pattelli said in open court that Patton reported the death of her boyfriend, Johnny L. Tyler, 49, of the same address about 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

Patton told police she found his body when she returned home from a night of “partying,” Pattelli said. Police did not initially find a weapon at the scene, and there were no signs of forced entry to or items missing from the home.

Based on the condition of the body, police believe Tyler was shot around midnight. Patton told police she was with a certain individual from 11 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday, but that person told police she was not with Patton at that time.

Peoria Journal Star

County health department forced to cancel H1N1 vaccinations

TREMONT – After hosting the first H1N1 vaccination clinics open to the general public in the Tri-County Area last week, the Tazewell County Health Department has canceled the next round of immunizations.

The clinic that had been scheduled for Monday at LaSalle School in Creve Coeur had to be suspended after an expected shipment of vaccine didn't arrive before the weekend.

The Tazewell County Health Department had initially scheduled a handful of clinics for the last two weeks of October, but held off on planning additional clinics for the public in November. Those dates still will be set as the department procures more supplies of the vaccine.

As with all other early clinics in the area, immunizations are reserved for targeted segments of the population considered most at risk.

Those individuals include children and young adults 6 months to 24 years old, pregnant women, adults 25 to 64 years old with health complications and caregivers or household members of infants younger than 6 months old.

Peoria Journal Star

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.